LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Every team wants to start hot, but it’s not easy to open an NFL season with a score. The Chicago Bears have done it nine times in the past 25 seasons, one of them last year, when Ben Johnson’s first drive as head coach resulted in a touchdown.The Bears marched 61 yards in 10 plays in Week 1 of 2025 to take a 7-0 lead on the Vikings. No Bears team had opened the season with a touchdown, let alone points, since Matt Nagy’s opening drive in 2018.In the past 25 seasons, according to Stathead, the opening drive of the Bears’ season has resulted in a touchdown five times, a field goal four times and a punt 14 times. Andy Dalton threw a pick to open the 2021 season against the Los Angeles Rams, and the 2023 Bears turned it over on downs to begin that campaign.Those nine scores from 2001 to 2025 are tied with the Minnesota Vikings for the most in the NFC North.“I don’t think there’s any secret to coming out of the gate hot,” Johnson said this week. “I think all 32 teams want to do that right now. Like I said, as a coach a trap that I’ve ran into in the past is trying to bite off a little bit more than you can chew early on in the season. Really our intent as a coaching staff is come out and play fast.”What we're watching from Caleb Williams in 2026Kevin Fishbain and Dan WiedererJohnson was speaking in general about a season opener, but the franchise’s poor starts to seasons piqued my curiosity, especially as they enter this new era of (gasp) the offense being the team’s calling card.The last time the Bears scored on the opening drive in back-to-back seasons was 2014 to 2016. To illustrate how meaningless that can be, those three teams missed the playoffs. To add to that, the Green Bay Packers, who have had plenty of offensive prowess this century, have had seven season-opening scores and 16 punts out of 25 seasons.Coaches have months to think about that first script, how the opening drive might look, but it’s never that simple.Offensive coordinator Press Taylor explained Thursday that during self-scout in organized team activities, the Bears would find things to lean into and other elements of the offense to toss out. But then comes game week and preparation specifically for an opponent.What if the Bears see something they would do against the Carolina Panthers, but it’s a play they threw out? Then they go back to the drawing board. The key, Taylor said, is making sure they’re playing fast, and they can go to their bread and butter in Week 1 to help that out against unfamiliar defenses.“We’ve all talked about the unscouted looks that happen early in September football, and how are we gonna handle these, we all got to be on the same page,” he said. “But ultimately we want to be able to find a way to lean into the things we do really well and we’ve done for a really long time so that when things kind of hit the fan and we’re not sure what the defense is or what this personnel grouping is gonna play for us, OK, we’ve run this play a million times and we can find a way to get a completion. We can find a way to get it blocked and get it executed.”Don’t judge a Bears book by its opening drive. Remember, they didn’t score on their opening drive in any of their final nine games — and they went 6-3 in that stretch. They also scored on the second drive of the game in 10 of 17 weeks.Then again, five of the Bears’ six division-title seasons this century began with points on the first drive of the season.Now, on to your questions.How important is it for this team to start out fast and get a victory in Week 1? We know they bounced back from 0-2 last year, but is that sustainable again this year, given the strength of schedule they are facing and being the hunted, rather than the hunter? — Matt M.As much as it’d be great for the Bears to start 1-0, I wouldn’t worry about how detrimental a loss would be. Now, if they lose, how they lose would matter more, but weird things can happen in Week 1.As for the hunted versus the hunter, sure, teams are going to be more aware of the Bears and what Caleb Williams and Johnson can do, but going through media predictions this week, I very rarely saw folks picking the Bears to win the division, let alone advance in the playoffs. As Johnson noted this summer, they are the No. 1 regression candidate, and in a tough division, they’re not really getting a ton of hype outside the city.With all that said, to your point about the schedule, it would be wise to build up a cushion ahead of a late-season stretch that includes the Buffalo Bills, Packers and Detroit Lions in consecutive weeks.What does the Bears’ defense have to accomplish this season for you to view it as a “successful unit”? — cardozajack88In 2025, the Bears ranked No. 21 in defensive expected points added per play, No. 19 against the pass and No. 24 against the run. They were No. 25 in QB hits, No. 21 in sack percentage and No. 29 in pressure percentage. Yet they still won the division and won a playoff game, in large part because of 33 takeaways, which led the league.What if the defense was purely average? We cannot expect those takeaway numbers to roll over, but can a revamped interior defensive line and the addition of Devin Bush at linebacker help the run defense? Can more comfort in Dennis Allen’s scheme move the defensive EPA up to, say, 16th in the league? Can a healthy Dayo Odeyingbo combined with Austin Booker’s breakout potential move the pass rush to, how about 20th?Considering the players on the field and those on the injured list (safety Coby Bryant, nickel corner Kyler Gordon), a defense that ranked in the middle of the league as opposed to the bottom third would probably be deemed successful, but it’s all about where the Bears can improve. The woeful run defense and pass rush didn’t prevent them from making a run in the playoffs last season. If this defense can improve on the margins and still be solid in the red zone (15th last season, 10th in goal-to-go situations), it might not require the offense to score 30 per game.What’s your take on the news that Kyler Gordon is rehabbing away from the Bears with his own trainer? Is this a common practice in the NFL? — AddisonAndClark C.The disparity between how much attention that news, broken by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, received and how much attention I paid to it was vast. After nearly two months of Gordon questions, I’ve kind of reached the point of, wake me up when he’s actually practicing with the team, which can’t happen until after Week 2 at the earliest.To your question, though, it’s not necessarily uncommon, especially in the offseason. Juxtapose Gordon’s decision, however, with the way general manager Ryan Poles praised Gordon’s decision to stay local during the spring.“I think he gave up a lot this break to stay here and put the time in,” Poles said in late July.That seemed to matter to the front office then, but maybe Gordon reached a point with the injury that he had to try something different. Either way, it’s frustrating for everyone involved. Gordon’s performance in the playoff loss to the Rams is a pretty recent reminder of what he can do when healthy. At this point, it’s understandable to speculate about what Gordon could contribute this season and beyond.Bears rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad likely will start the season as the nickel corner, a big task for a rookie. (Johnnie Izquierdo / Getty Images)In 2027, will Malik Muhammad be listed as a nickel CB or outside CB? — Josh M.We’re already looking to the future before Muhammad’s NFL debut! But if the Bears do have a long-term starter with their fourth-round pick, it would give them a lot of flexibility. Tyrique Stevenson is in a contract year. Jaylon Johnson will be entering the last year of his deal in 2027. Who knows what Gordon’s status will be.Muhammad’s future position will be determined, of course, by how he plays in different spots and who’s here next season. He seems in line to start the season as the nickel corner, a big task for a rookie.“We liked his coverage ability,” defensive coordinator Allen said about Muhammad’s college tape. “I saw a smart, instinctive player that had good speed and good coverage ability. And so, I think anytime you get a rookie in here, you really want to throw a lot at him and see what they can handle. And he’s been able to handle a pretty good amount.”If Muhammad thrives in the slot and Gordon never gets healthy, maybe the rookie becomes the nickel of the future. And if Muhammad has a good rookie year and Stevenson exits via free agency, Muhammad could move outside. We’ve got a long way to go to determine it, but heading into Week 1, the most important thing is for the Bears to get positive returns from Muhammad to give them corner options in 2027.Which player on this team will most likely be the biggest surprise? — Bryan P.I’m not sure how many fans are thinking much about Bush. Linebacker isn’t as valuable a position as it was, but I was really impressed by his speed and physicality in training camp. He’s coming off a career-best year, and while he might never match the pedigree of being a top-10 pick, I could see Bush making more plays than expected this season.And keep an eye on the defensive tackles. There’s only one returning player — Grady Jarrett — and it’s a position group that Johnson highlighted as being underrated. Whether it’s Kentavius Street or Neville Gallimore, or even Jarrett, I’d be curious to see if someone from that group surprises.Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 0-2 in his career against the Bears. (Quinn Harris / Getty Images)Bears-Panthers fun facts• The Bears lead the all-time series 9-3. All three of their regular-season losses to Carolina took place on the road.• The Bears have won four in a row in the series, including their most recent trip to Charlotte, a 23-16 win in 2020. Cole Kmet caught his first career touchdown pass in the victory.• In two career games against the Bears, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is 0-2 while completing 55.6 percent of his passes with no touchdowns and no picks.• The Bears are 4-9 in season openers in the post-Lovie Smith era (since 2013). Their last road win in Week 1 came in Detroit in 2020. The last time they won a season-opening road game with fans in the stands was 2008 in Indianapolis.• Sunday marks the second time out of 15 games since 1982 in which the Bears are road favorites in Week 1. The only other time was 2006 in Green Bay, a 26-0 victory.Game picks: Bears (+2.5) at Panthers, noon CT on FoxKevin Fishbain: Panthers 29, Bears 26Week 1 is a crapshoot. Remember when the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New England Patriots last September? Or when a quarterback threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat the Bears on the road and then his team missed the playoffs? This is a pick to reflect the mystery that comes with season openers. Humidity might be on the Panthers’ side as they get a last-second win.Dan Wiederer: Bears 27, Panthers 23This is a vote of confidence in the Bears’ offense being able to score enough to survive a challenging season opener. Expect a steady opener from Caleb Williams, a strong afternoon from Colston Loveland and a timely takeaway from Jaylon Johnson.Jon Greenberg: Bears 24, Panthers 23More Caleb Williams late-game magic to start the season? Maybe. I don’t think we’ll see the offense totally clicking just yet, but I’m also banking on the much-maligned defense keeping it close.Dan Pompei: Bears 33, Panthers 31The home team will give the crowd some offensive plays to go wild about, but not enough to win the game. The Panthers, like a lot of opponents, will have a difficult time matching up with the Bears’ playmakers.